What kind of program is the Google application? Solving the problem of application dependence on Google Apps

Google+ is a social network project from Google. The service allows you to communicate via the Internet using social components such as Circles, Topics, and Video Meetings. The information shared by social network members influences personalized search.

The history of Google+

Google has been trying to enter the social media market for a long time. Back in 2003, the company attempted to acquire the oldest social network Friendster, but the project management refused to the search giant. That's why Google decided to create its own social network. The result was the Orkut project, launched in 2004. The project gained great popularity, but due to insufficient attention to development and a too slow interface, the social network did not gain a foothold in the market. IN further company made no attempt to enter the social network market, thereby giving a boost to the popular social Facebook networks. Realizing its mistakes, the company attempted to revive its position in the social networking market by acquiring the startup Dodgeball and renaming it Google Latitude. In 2007 the company launches Google project Profiles in which users could record their data. Google Buzz and YouTube were also results of the work, but they covered very narrow niche worldblogging. Google is also trying to take over Twitter, but the deal was not destined to take place. In the spring of 2011, changes began to the Google Profiles service. The appearance has been changed and integration with Buzz and Picasa has been obtained. At the same time, the first information about Google+ appeared. On June 28, 2011, the search giant officially announced the launch of its own social network.

How Google+ works

At the core Google work+ the concept of circles is laid down, with the help of which the user regulates his communication. Those. user can create unlimited amount circles and include your relatives, acquaintances, colleagues in them and, based on the circles, share content with them, determining which circle can have access to information.

You should definitely find out what it is Google Plus, if you have already created accounts on social networks or are getting used to the world of blogging.

I know learning something new is difficult. I know Google+ is not an intuitive app. But it's worth at least trying.

Many people have never tried Google +, but there are still people who don't use Twitter!

But sooner or later it’s worth starting. After all, for many active users Internet, Google + is now the favorite “way” to social platforms.

This article will draw parallels between and Google +.

Google+ Feed

Users who have ever logged into Facebook will likely see many similarities.

This is what the news feed looks like:

On the top left side you will see a Home button.

If you hover your cursor over it, access to user profile.

There you can study new topics, follow events, post photos, join communities (similar to Facebook Groups).

This tab is also used to find new people. There you can also find entertainment materials, games and applications, parties (identical as in) and pages.

If the search has taken the user too far, you can click this button again to return to main screen.

Sometimes the tabs move around depending on how often you use them. Google+ pages work the same way Facebook pages. More on this later.

Description of menu options on the left

Circles

Circles are where you meet your friends.

Now you can create on Facebook own lists, but when you connect a new friend, he just goes to the general big list.

This is an easy way to interact with different people, unite them by work, community or those users who are on this moment are online.

You can create as many circles as you like. People can be in one circle or in several at the same time.

This way you can more easily find the person you need.

If you click on the “Find People” button, the program will display a list of your preferred users.
When you find someone you recognize, hover over their name. A menu will appear where you can choose where to add specific person.
The small number in your profile explains how many friends you have. It's perfectly acceptable to contact people you don't know yet.
At the top of this page, you can click on the “You” button. Here is a list of people who have added you to their circles. Click on it.

Circles are “liquid”! It is perfectly acceptable to create new circles, they merge together and/or can be deleted. Start with the following options:

Acquaintances = add everyone you really know here
Family/friends = close people you know in real life,
Bloggers = list of people you connect to in the blogging world
People I Can't Miss = After you've interacted with someone even a little, move them from your acquaintances to one separate circle
Potential clients= these are people who might be interested in your services, your potential consumers.

To organize the circles, click on the person and then click on the circle with a specific color and name.

A large circle with a plus sign makes it possible to create a new category.

If you click on a circle, you will see that you can edit its name, delete it, or share it.

When you do something on G+, you can choose who can see your content.

You can choose a public category (meaning the whole world will see it) or choose the circle that interests you the most.

Or you can leave the event private, and then no one but you will see it.

Profile

The profile works just like on Facebook. You have a cover photo, a profile photo, and then a bunch of tabs where you have your , videos, preferences, etc.

One nice feature is that your photos will be automatically connected to your Picasa account (if you have one).

Plus, if you have a YouTube account, it will appear on your page too. On the right side, you will see a list of all your friends, as well as people who have added you to their circles.

To edit your profile, go to the “about” tab.
You will see different categories. Each window has an “edit” button. This is where you add information about your profile! This is one of the most important things you can do on Google+.
Make sure your slogan is something memorable. This is what people see when they hover over a person's name.
Write a biography and add hyperlinks there.

User activity

After editing your profile, it's time to post your first post.

You can scroll through the images (little arrows) just like on Facebook.

You can also tag people. Add names, circles, or email addresses to make this information available to other users.

Please note that if you tag someone in an update, their name will be tagged separately.

You can add tags. It is the user who decides what content should be shared, public, and what should be private.

There is also a checkbox on the page: Send by . This means that your post will be sent separately certain users.

This option is similar to the one on Twitter that you can use in your status to help people find your post.

There are many circles, and it is hashtags that are used to find target audience and make new acquaintances.

If you decide to create a community, share posts in it and then add them to your profile. This way you can attract many more interested consumers.

Benefits of Google+

Many people have not yet joined this platform.

Perhaps because they and Facebook are so similar?

At the same time, we can definitely highlight the advantages that are unique to this platform:

Full integration with, video hosting YouTube and Picasa.
The display photos are much more beautiful and look wonderful on Pinterest.
Regular engagement on G+ helps Google rank certain sites and pages.
Video meetings (which is simply not possible on Facebook).
Open platform, here fewer rules and restrictions.
Allows people to categorize friends more easily.
While Facebook is for chatting with friends, Twitter for short messages to people you're interested in, Google+ combines the best of both worlds.
Features include events, party mode, and other options that are not available in other integrated platforms.
Once you get used to the navigation, when you hover over the menu options, you'll realize that G+ is easier to use than Facebook.
Nobody pays you to promote posts!
If you host your blog on Blogspot, you have even more integration options. Go to Control Panel and press the G+ button to see the features available to you!
Each post has its own web page, which means it is easier to share them via the Internet.
The ripple effect shows you how far your posts have climbed on the popularity ladder, and who else is climbing along with you.
Instantly send photos to your smartphone directly from Google.
You can use for communication. Exchange instant messages, VoIP calls, video calls, conferences/videos. All this becomes available. In the PC version, you can also open documents for sharing(using Google drive). Users can change and edit documents in real time, add their own edits and annotations. In the same way, technical support becomes available.

Often users who are just beginning their acquaintance with this wonderful platform ask questions:

This will help you share relevant information with the right people.

You can also organize your own “feed”.

You can set it up so that you only see the latest news from certain circles. It's like a “feature list” on Twitter.

Can I add people to a circle to follow my page?

There are no pages like on Facebook. If a person follows your profile, this means that your posts on the page will appear in their news feed.

You can add people to your circle, but after that you will see their posts in your news feed.

I don't understand why a notification window is needed.

The notification window allows you to quickly interact on G+.

It takes a little getting used to, but notifications of new messages cannot be ignored. When you see the notification, click the arrow to the right of it.

When you do this, you'll see posts and comments that you can respond to right there, without having to scroll through your feed.

Imagine if every time you received a notification on Facebook, you could respond directly from the notification window without having to navigate to the post? This is possible on Google+.

How can I turn off all notifications in my mailbox?

Click on your profile in the top right corner and then select "Account". On the left, click on G+. All notification options by e-mail are there.

I forgot to indicate a lot in the news feed. How to fix it?

For example, click on the "Magnifying Glass" on the left.

You will see posts from selected people and their pages that have been pulled up automatically.

There is a sliding scale in the upper right corner.

You can navigate to view different types posts There you can edit your news feed.

How to easily upload photos to a custom page?

If you have or have a camera, download the official G+ app and use the instant download feature.

Every time you take a photo, it will automatically be uploaded to your photo albums on G+.

All current photos can be shared (or not) by clicking “Settings” public access" It's the red button at the top of the page.

Many people actively use Google+ for business.

Of course, the potential of Google+ is obvious. It is a large network of 540 million monthly active users and many success stories.

What is Google Plus: A Beginner's Guide

Hello users Are you learning Android, want to make it faster and delete applications? Well, well, just do it carefully. For example, there is an application called Services Google Play, and you know, it seems like this is nonsense, but in fact this application is necessary to carry out the process of updating Google applications from the Google Play store, what a twist guys!

Google Play Services powers key capabilities, well, for example, authentication in Google services, synchronization of contacts. Also allows you to access the latest privacy settings and better energy-saving services that use location data. There are a lot of clever words here and not enough simple interpretation, don’t you agree? Well, I took this information from the official website, I have nothing to do with it..

Also on the website from Google, it says that Google Play Services makes applications and games more convenient, that is, some kind of search is accelerated there in some offline mode, maps become more realistic.. In short, they write something that is not very clear .. But most importantly, do you know what else is written there? What if you remove Google Play services, some applications may not work, but this is an important point!

Yeah, I understand what the big deal is. The whole problem here is that Google Play services write that an update is needed, but in reality there is none! Users write that they cleared the cache and deleted updates and manually updated Google Play Services, but it still goes and writes that the services need to be updated, are they kidding Google? As I understand it, many users suffer from the fact that Google Play Services is constantly being updated!

Well, what can I tell you guys, the man Dima wrote a very important comment about this program, I think you should read it:

The only thing I don’t agree with him is that if there are problems with the application, then the owners of the smartphone are to blame for this. But the fact that the application is important for the system, then I agree, because firstly, the application is responsible for the process of updating programs or is involved in it process, and secondly on official page Google hints that there may be problems if you uninstall this application, some programs may stop working!

So guys, yes, I know that you may have an error with these Google Play services. You need to search on the Internet what can be done in this case, I would help, but I must admit that I’m not very good at this, and secondly, there are many reasons why the error appears. And there are a lot of mistakes themselves. I told you what kind of Google Play program this is, but about the error, damn it, sorry.. And also, if you really want to remove it or try to solve the problem, then... Maybe freeze Google Play Services? For example, titanium .. And this is how you use a smart phone, and if everything is OK, then you can delete the application in the future .. Although the application seems to be important .. In short, I don’t know, if you Google anything on the Internet on the topic of titanium for Android, read the 4PDA forum , there is a lot of useful information there..

The word “Google” has long become a household word. And in the minds of most people it has long been no longer associated with the name of the number ten to the hundredth power. Today Google is the largest in the world. However, not just search... Google is a diverse corporation. She managed to prove herself in the most different areas. Interestingly, one of the creators of this media monster is Sergey Brin, a Russian who simply settled in the States in the early nineties. How an ordinary search engine created by a Russian student was able to become a versatile and successful company with a different focus in the world high technology? Truly a mystery. Let's try to understand the Google phenomenon. What kind of animal is this? Let's start with the basics.

History of creation

Back in 1997, two students from Sergey Brin and Larry Page created a simple search engine and called it Google. The search was carried out using a simple algorithm. And in general, then no one could even think about a multi-industry corporation. The search engine was created as a laboratory work. But against the backdrop of a shortage of good search engines on the Internet at that time, the popularity of Google began to grow rapidly. All large quantity people preferred this search engine. And not without reason. Compared to its closest competitors, Google looked the most adequate and more successfully processed search queries.

Time passed, and the simple search engine began to grow additional modules and services. By the end of 2010, he had already turned into the “monster” that we are used to seeing. Google's developments include an operating system for mobile devices("Android"), smart glasses, robot cars, social networks, smart voice search and much more. Google search has mutated into a giant company, ready to prove itself in all areas of the IT industry.

Additional services. Mail

Google Mail has always been in the search engine's arsenal. But in its infancy it was used as corporate mail within the organization itself. Initially, the developers did not think about making it available to all users. But time passed. All sorts of Rambler, Yandex, Mail.ru and others appeared. The creators of Google suddenly realized that in order to be successful, they had to expand their list of services. It was then that the decision was made to launch Gmail service. It has never been particularly popular in our country, but things have changed over time.

After the release of the super popular mobile operating system The Android Google Mail service has become very popular in our country. This is due to the fact that in order to use the Android device to its fullest, you need to have a Gmail account. Here's the thing. Therefore, our compatriots rushed en masse to register accounts with Google mail. To be fair, it’s worth noting that email from Google is very good. It is especially suitable because it combines convenient modern interface and high security. You won't be able to hack Gmail the same way as Mail.ru.

Additional services. "Google Plus"

Some time after launch postal service Google's management decided that the media giant simply cannot do without its own social network. This is how the Google Plus project was created. Initially it was created according to the Facebook principle, but over time it was thoroughly redesigned. Now it is very difficult to find at least some resemblance to the social network from Zuckerberg. Even the structure of the social network itself does not in any way resemble Facebook. For which honor and praise go to Google. Because the same type of “under-networks” are already quite boring.

Externally mind Google Plus is not at all similar to any well-known social network. Perhaps this discourages users from using the Google network. This especially affects users from the CIS countries. They don’t need Google Plus for nothing, since VKontakte is much more understandable. But in the West, the social network from Google is quite popular among those who want to “touch” something new. And there is something to “feel” in this network. Because understanding the page settings is not an easy task. Even for an "advanced" user.

Additional services. Hangouts

Relatively recently, the company launched new service Hangouts from Google. What kind of service is this? We answer - this is a messenger. You can use it to exchange quick messages, photographs and video broadcasts. You can also make calls within the messenger. At its core, the service is a mixture of Skype and QIP. In terms of functionality, it is much more convenient than its counterparts. However, the popularity of this messenger in our country is very low. This is due to the dominance of Russian-speaking monopolists like VKontakte and Mail.ru.

But in the West, things are much better with Hangouts. According to statistics, this messenger is in second place after Skype in popularity. And this is a completely different level. The company is always trying to make the messenger better. And I must say that they succeed. At least this “writing” is not as buggy as “Mail.ru Agent”. This is Hangouts from Google. What it is is probably already clear. Google, as always, is at its best in the world of new technologies.

Additional services. Cards

Maps from Google are a godsend. The company took the trouble to photograph every corner of our planet from a satellite and post it all in a separate service as a photo with a huge resolution. With proper magnification, you can even see car license plates on these same maps. Which, by the way, became the reason for several lawsuits in Google address. What kind of disclosure of personal data is this? However, the trial was lost, and Google did not pay a penny.

Google's map service will help many people see other cities and countries. And in combination with the navigation system it turned out to be very good mobile navigator. This is what it means - a truly diversified corporation. What does Google not do? And all this finds a positive response among many users. Even scandals involving surveillance allegedly carried out by the company could not tarnish Google's reputation.

Operating system "Android"

One of the most successful and long-lasting projects from Google. What kind of system is this? This is what you see on your smartphone all the time. The operating system was developed based on the free Linux OS. That's why it's completely free. The most involved in its development the best specialists. As a result, the OS turned out to be so successful that it is now used on the vast majority of mobile devices. The structure of the system itself is complex and has many levels. It will be enough general description"green robot"

The basis of any Android OS is Google applications. The same "Android Market" or search. By the way, the Google program is a smart search engine for Android devices that can work with voice commands. The so-called "Okay Google". But in older devices this option is not available because there is not enough memory to use it. I must say that everything mobile applications from Google are very gluttonous. Therefore, it is better to disable unnecessary ones. Google update"Android" usually arrives "by air". But due to company policy, the chance of getting an operating system update on a device that is at least a year old is negligible. We can only rely on smartphone manufacturers.

Device Manufacturer

As mentioned above, Google is a multidisciplinary organization. In fact, the company is not only Internet services. Google Nexus smartphones are widely known all over the world. Usually the corporation simply gave an order to some manufacturer, and he created the required device. But recently she started producing smartphones herself and released an “iPhone killer” called “Pixel”. It was probably a joke on the part? How can he kill an iPhone? In fact, it can. Because it combines superb design, high performance and modular structure.

It is worth noting that smartphones with the Google label are distinguished by high-quality assembly, fast operation and the latest version of Android. The company closely monitors its customers (literally and figuratively). Therefore, Google phone owners are always provided with the latest software. Smartphones from Google are considered one of the best in the world.

Cars on autopilot

In parallel with all its developments, the company finds time to work on an unmanned control system for cars. Its Googlemobiles have already flooded cities across the United States. And it must be said that the system copes with its responsibilities where better than man. During the entire testing period, there were only a few accidents involving Google cars. And all due to the fault of oncoming drivers. Because a person cannot be calculated and digitized.

Conclusion

The review article about the “coolest” company has come to an end. Now you know about the history of the creation of the largest corporation under Google name. It would not be surprising if Google soon starts releasing smart household appliances. And then it won’t be good for all Samsung and others. Because if Google does something, it is 100% successful.

Google quickly went from being a small search engine to the gigantic infrastructure whose components run on our PCs, smartphones, tablets and even TVs. Google tirelessly collects information about us, search queries are carefully logged, movements are tracked, and passwords, emails and contact information are stored for years to come. All this is an integral part of modernity, but we are quite capable of changing it.

Introduction

It's no secret that any device under Android control(at least what is certified by Google) contains not only components assembled from AOSP, but also an impressive number of proprietary Google programs. These are the same Google Play, Gmail, Hangouts, Maps and a bunch of other applications, including a dialer and a camera (starting with KitKat).

For all these components there is not only source code, but also no explanation at all about the principles of their operation. Many of them are initially created for the purpose of collecting certain types of information and sending them to Google servers. This is, for example, how GoogleBackupTransport, which is responsible for synchronizing the list, behaves installed applications, passwords and other data, GoogleContactsSyncAdapter, which synchronizes your contact list, or ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter, whose job is to synchronize browser bookmarks. Plus collecting information about all queries in the search engine.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the fact of synchronization, and it is an excellent mechanism that allows you to configure new phone in a matter of minutes, and Google Now even manages to give us useful information based on our data (sometimes). The only problem is that all this destroys our privacy, because, as Snowden showed, under the hood of the NSA (and, most likely, a bunch of other services) is not only some evil empire called Microsoft, but also Google, and also many other companies from the “we are not evil, but fluffy philanthropists” crowd.

In other words: Google will merge us all without any problems, and it’s not a fact that its employees, sitting in their offices with masseuses and dogs, are not laughing at the names from your contact book (everything is encrypted there, yes), drinking 15-year-old pu-erh from Yunnan Province. Or maybe to hell with Google? Let's take their Android and let them go through the forest?

What's happened Google Apps

The latest version of the custom KitKat-based firmware for my smartphone weighs 200 MB, however, in order to get a real experience from the smartphone, I also have to flash the gapps archive on top of it, the size of which is 170 MB. Only after this will I receive a system similar to that pre-installed on Nexus devices, with all the goodies in the form of a desktop integrated with Google Now, a screen lock based on a face shot, a camera with support for spherical shooting and a kilogram of Google software, from Google Play to Google Books.

I repeat once again: all this is closed software from Google, which in a good way cannot be distributed at all without their knowledge (that’s why it is not in custom firmware like CyanogenMod), but since it is quite easy to extract it from the firmware of Nexus devices, you can find it on the Internet great amount similar archives, including severely truncated ones. In order to release an Android smartphone with a set of gapps on board, the manufacturer must send it for certification to Google, which, after evaluating the quality and performance of the smartphone, will either give the go-ahead or kick it (but this does not stop the Chinese at all).

This is how Google Apps get to your smartphone. Of the users, 99% either use pre-installed applications, or install them yourself on absolutely clean and completely anonymous firmware. And then, from the moment you enter your username and password, synchronization and downloading of information begins.

To figure out how this happens, let’s unpack the same archive with gapps and take a look inside. We are interested in the /system/app and /system/priv-app directories; during installation, their contents are copied to the directories of the same name inside the smartphone. The second directory is new to KitKat and houses applications that use system APIs that are marked "private" and not accessible to regular applications.

In the /system/app directory we will find a large number of various Google applications, easily recognizable by the name of the package: Books.apk, Chrome.apk, Gmail2.apk and so on. Each of them will share information differently, but that's totally fine (yes, Google will know you're reading Paulo Coelho through their app!). Greatest danger here represents GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk, which is only responsible for sending to remote server contact list. We write down the name in a notepad and move on.

Most of the files from the /system/priv-app directory are the services and frameworks necessary to run this whole synchronization and surveillance machine:

GoogleBackupTransport.apk - synchronizes data from installed applications, Wi-Fi passwords and some settings;
GoogleLoginService.apk - connects the device with a Google account;
GooglePartnerSetup.apk - allows third party applications gain access to Google services;
GoogleServicesFramwork.apk - a framework with various auxiliary functionality;
Phonesky.apk - Play Store(surprisingly);
PrebuiltGmsCore.apk - Google Services, as the name suggests, this is the core of the entire gapps suite;
Velvet.apk is a Google search that includes a desktop search bar and Google Now.

In essence, this is the part of Google Apps that is responsible for leaking our private information. Let's try to get rid of all this.

Method number 1. Disabling through settings

The easiest way to unlink a smartphone from Google is to use standard settings systems. The good thing about this method is that it does not require root rights, installation of custom firmware, or custom recovery. Everything can be done in any stock firmware without losing access to your account and applications like Gmail (if necessary). However, no one will vouch for the efficiency, since it is quite possible that some gapps components will continue to send data.

The main location for synchronization settings is the menu “Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> [email protected]" Here you can disable things like syncing contacts, app data, Gmail, Play Music, Google Keep And so on. All you need to do is simply uncheck the desired menu items. Next, go to the “Settings -> Backup and reset” menu and uncheck the “Data backup” and “Auto recovery” items.

The Google Settings application, which is part of Google Services, is also responsible for many synchronization settings. With its help, in particular, you can disable Google access to the location (“Access to geodata -> Access to my geodata / Sending geodata / Location history”), disable sending personal data to the search engine (“Search -> Personal data”), disable Google Now (“Search -> Google Now”) and disable remote control (“Remote control -> Remote search devices/ Remote blocking and reset settings").

In the same “Google Settings,” by the way, you can disable any application that uses your Google account for authorization. We are talking not only about the software installed on the device, but also about all applications ever used, including websites. For example, I found a lot of sites on this list that I haven’t visited for at least a couple of years.

In the event that you do not intend to use Google services at all, it will be easier to disconnect your smartphone from your account completely, that is, simply delete it through the settings: “Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> [email protected]-> Menu button -> Delete account.”

Majority Google applications can be safely disabled through the settings: “Applications -> ALL -> the right application-> Disable".

Settings Google account
Google Settings

Method number 2. Cleaning the official firmware

In the event that the stock firmware has root rights, you can get rid of Google Apps by simply deleting them from your smartphone. As I already said, they are all stored in the /system/app and /system/priv-app directories. For example, in the case of KitKat, the list of Google applications in the first directory will be like this:

Books.apk - Google Books;
CalendarGoogle.apk - Google Calendar;
Chrome.apk - Google Chrome;
CloudPrint.apk - cloud printing system;
Drive.apk - Google Drive;
GenieWidget.apk - news and weather widget;
Gmail2.apk - Gmail;
GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk - contact synchronization;
GoogleEars.apk - Google Ears (similar to Shazam);
GoogleEarth.apk - Google Earth;
GoogleHome.apk - home screen with integrated Google Now;
GoogleTTS.apk - speech synthesis system;
Hangouts.apk - Google Hangouts;
Keep.apk - Google Keep;
LatinImeGoogle.apk - keyboard with gesture support;
Magazines.apk - Google Magazines;
Maps.apk - Google Maps;
Music2.apk - Google Music;
PlayGames.apk - Google PlayGames;
PlusOne.apk - Google+;
QuickOffice.apk - QuickOffice;
Street.apk - Google Street;
SunBeam.apk - SunBeam live wallpaper;
Videos.apk - Google Movies;
YouTube.apk - YouTube.

The /system/priv-app directory, in addition to those listed earlier, also contains the following files:

CalendarProvider.apk - stores calendar data;
GoogleFeedback.apk - sends a report about using Google Play;
GoogleOneTimeInitilalizer.apk - installation wizard for additional Google applications;
SetupWizard.apk - setup wizard on first launch;
Wallet.apk - Google Wallet;
talkback.apk - voice notification about events on the device.

The Gapps kit for KitKat, among other things, also includes a proprietary camera with support for spherical shooting and a proprietary desktop with integrated Google Now.

But that is not all. Google Apps depends on several frameworks, which are located in the /system/framework directory. These files are com.google.android.maps.jar, com.google.android.media.effects.jar and com.google.widevine.software.drm.jar. There are also many libraries in the /system/lib directory that are used exclusively by Google applications. It is not at all necessary to remove them, but it is possible. Just to clean up the trash. You can find a list of them on the website ][.

In previous (and future) versions of the system, the content of Google Apps is different, so before uninstalling I recommend downloading gapps the required version from the site goo.im/gapps, unpack from using WinRar and view the content. You should also take into account the dependence of some applications from the market on Google applications, I will talk more about this later.

This is only a part of the libraries included in the gapps kit

Method number 3. Custom firmware without gapps

The previous method can be significantly simplified if you simply install custom firmware on your smartphone without Google Apps. In this case, the smartphone/tablet will be crystal clear without any connection to Google. The disadvantage of this method is the absence of Google Play, but you can either replace it with a third-party application store (more on that below), or use next way, which includes installing a stripped-down Google versions Apps.

Method number 4. Google Play and nothing else

This method of partially decoupling from Google is a kind of compromise. It does not solve the problem of surveillance - at least without the settings from the first method - but it allows you not to clutter the system with a bunch of useless software, which will hang in the background and eat up memory. The idea is simple - install custom firmware and upload a minimalist version of gapps on top of it, which includes only Google Play.

There are many such minimal gapps assemblies on the Internet, but I would recommend using the time-tested BaNkS Gapps, namely the “month-date” file GApps Core 4.4.2 signed.zip". They work on any smartphone, are ART compatible and include only the basic gapps files, a list of which is given in the "What are Gapps" section, framework files, as well as several libraries. Essentially, it's Google Play, synchronization tools and nothing else.

Changing the search engine to DuckDuckGo

Even after completely disabling synchronization, the “built-in” Google search bar will remain on the home screen. IN stock firmware Some manufacturers (Samsung, for example) are just a widget that can be easily removed from the screen. IN pure Android and devices from many other manufacturers, it is “built into” the home screen, but it can be removed by disabling all search from Google (along with Google Now) using the menu “Settings -> Applications -> All -> Google search-> Disable" or by installing a third-party launcher. Next, just download DuckDuckGo from the market or another application store and add the widget of the same name to your home screen.

Third party market

The second and third methods involve completely getting rid of Google Apps, including Google Play and the ability to log in using a Google account, so we must find a simple and convenient installation applications that would not force us to download them ourselves, and then dump them onto a memory card and install them manually. One such way is to install a third-party market.

At the moment there are three more or less viable Google alternatives Play. These are Amazon Appstore, Yandex.Store and 1Mobile Market. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, which mainly come down to the number of applications and payment methods:

Amazon Appstore is the most famous application store after Google Play. Contains more than 75 thousand applications (compared to 800 thousand on Google Play), the quality of each of which is manually checked, just like iTunes for iOS. You can pay using credit card or Amazon Coins, which are given as a gift for purchasing a tablet Kindle Fire or as a gift from another user. One of the most interesting features of the store is the daily giveaway one of the paid applications.
Yandex.Store is a store from the Yandex company. Contains more than 85 thousand applications, each of which is scanned by Kaspersky antivirus. It doesn’t particularly stand out, but it has a killer feature in the form of the ability to pay for purchases using the Yandex.Money service or a mobile phone account.
1Mobile Market is the largest third party repository Android applications, including more than 500 thousand software. It differs from others by the presence of exclusively free applications (not to be confused with pirated ones), which is why it allows you not to go through the account registration stage and maintain anonymity.

Applications in all three markets have original digital signatures application developers, allowing them to be used simultaneously. An application installed from one market can be updated without problems from another, and if will disappear if deleted from the list of installed ones in all of them at once. However, you will have to buy them separately.

Amazon Appstore Yandex.Market

1Mobile Market

Open Source Market

In addition to those described in the article, as well as many other lesser-known application stores, you can find a different repository on the Internet. It is completely anonymous and contains only free software distributed under licenses approved by the FSF. There are only a thousand applications in F-Droid, but all of them are guaranteed to not contain backdoors or other systems for disclosing personal data. It is F-Droid that is used as the default market in the free Android firmware Replicant.

Solving the problem of application dependence on Google Apps

Even though gapps components are not part of the official Android API, some applications still expect to see them on the system, which can cause a number of problems - from the application not working at all to losing some of its functionality. Some applications will refuse to install due to absence of Google Maps API, others crash immediately after launch without detecting it, others include direct links to Google Play, which can lead to crashes and incorrect operation.

To solve these problems, XDA user MaR-V-iN started the NOGAPPS project, which is developing a set of open source components to replace the original Google functionality Apps. There are currently three replacement components available:

Network Location is a Wi-Fi based geolocation service and base stations GSM. Based on Apple's IP address database and open base station database;
Maps API - replacement of the interface to Google Maps based on OpenStreetMap;
BlankStore is an open alternative to the Play Store client. Allows you to install free apps from Google store, but is not recommended for use due to possible sanctions from the search engine (this is prohibited by their rules).

The components are installed separately and different ways. You just need to manually copy the Network Location to the /system/app/ directory in Android 2.3–4.3 or to the /system/priv-app/ directory in KitKat (in this case you should use the NetworkLocation-gms.apk file). Maps API is installed by flashing the nogapps-maps.zip file via the recovery console. To install the market you will have to not only copy the file, but also generate an Android ID on big car, but since this is not recommended, I will not talk about it and will limit myself to a link to the instructions.

After all the manipulations, the software should work correctly.

conclusions

For the company Google Android without her own applications is useless, so it is not surprising that the company removes the most delicious parts of the system and leaves the code closed. However, in this article I showed that there is life without gapps and it can be even easier and more convenient than with Google.